Why this GA senator called Trump ‘a temporary occupant of public housing’ in Columbus visit
During a tour of upcoming affordable housing projects in Columbus on Monday, Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) criticized President Donald Trump’s refusal to sign the bipartisan ROAD to Housing Act.
Warnock visited the sites of upcoming NeighborWorks Columbus projects in partnership with the Housing Authority of Columbus, Providence Pointe and Newman’s Crossing. He secured funding for these projects through the annual appropriations process with $2.5 million for Providence Pointe and $1.8 million for Newman’s Crossing.
The senator spoke about his efforts to include a federal ban on private equity in housing in the ROAD to Housing Act.
“We’ve got a real issue around private equity in our communities,” Warnock told the Ledger-Enquirer during his housing tour. “Corporations (are) swooping in the communities, buying so much housing stock that they are pushing ordinary families who are just trying to get in (the market) out of the market.”
This practice raises the cost of housing and decreases availability for homeownership, he said.
“My provision in the bill addresses this for the very first time,” Warnock said. “I’ve also got some other good provisions around appraisals and that kind of thing. I’m glad it passed Congress. President needs to sign the bill.”
The bill passed the U.S. Senate by a vote of 85-5 and the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 358-32.
Despite the bipartisan support in Congress, Trump canceled the signing of the bill, saying he would not sign it unless Congress passed the SAVE America Act, a strict voter ID bill.
“America has a real affordability crisis,” Warnock said. “This president said he would deal with the affordability crisis on day one. We’re now two years into his presidency, almost, and what has he done around affordability?”
The ROAD to Housing Act is a chance to take some of the pressure off poor, middle-class and working families, Warnock said, and he’s not sure why Trump has not signed the bill.
“He seems very focused on the house that he’s living in — adding a ballroom, tearing down the whole East Wing, renovating the house that he lives in,” Warnock said. “Somebody needs to tell the President of the United States that he is a temporary occupant of public housing, and he ought to do something to address the housing needs of the people he was elected to serve.”
Continued efforts for bipartisanship
Voters want representatives in Congress to work together to get things done, Warnock said.
“I’m listed as one of the most bipartisan senators in the Senate,” he said. “I’m aware of the fact that Georgia elected me. But it also elected my Republican colleagues in Congress. It elected Donald Trump.”
Warnock said he is proud of the work the Congress did on housing. He said it’s “a big deal” that the ROAD to Housing Act passed the Senate Banking and Housing and Urban Affairs Committee unanimously.
“Every Democrat voted for it; every Republican voted for it,” he said. “Let’s be clear: If I could have just sat down and written the bill, we would be doing much more. We would be investing more. But that’s the nature of bipartisan work, and this will make a real difference.”
Warnock sees more opportunities for bipartisan work, including the Pathways to Prosperity Act, which he spoke about during a visit to Columbus Technical College on Monday. This bill would strengthen the nation’s workforce development pipeline by bridging the gap between community and technical colleges and local industry with career training and apprenticeship programs, allowing students to earn money while they complete their programs.
He introduced the bill with Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) in December.
“This bill . . . will do a lot to help young people who are trying to figure out their own pathway to prosperity,” Warnock said.
This story was originally published July 7, 2026 at 1:38 PM.
